onepinkfuzzy

Okay, anyway, I ran today! So it was more of a jog, but still. It felt great. I did about 2.2 miles, down around the River Path up to Trader Joe's. I received a few strange looks as I stretched while I ground the coffee. Stretched my quads, hip flexors, calves. Wandered the store in my running outfit (overdressed as usual; should have worn a short-sleeve shirt), and noticed I wasn't the only one in exercise clothes! I think they get a lot of exercisers who stop by on their way home, since the store is right along the river path. My left knee didn't hurt at all, although the top of my left foot hurt - I think from the 90 minute yoga class I attended yesterday. Darn it!

I wanted to keep running today. I wasn't ready for it to be over! I had a hard time getting my breath, but once I warmed up, it was awesome. It was a glorious day, beautiful winter sun, great breeze, beautiful views of the Santa Catalina mountains. I remembered reading on someone's blog (can't recall whose) about their plan to run less miles each day, in the hopes that it would leave them wanting more - leaving them hungry for miles the next day, and then the next, and so on, thus getting more miles. I'm hugry for more. I will probably go out for another 2 to 3 miles tomorrow, and again later in the week. Yay! I'm scheduled to go out on Sunday with Mike's wife, and I'm looking forward to it - as long as I take it easy, I feel like I'll be fine! I'm still stretching, and yoga is becoming part of my weekly routine.

Before I did Pemberton, my goal for this year was to get stronger. Run a base weekly mileage of about 20 miles a week, and focus on strength training and yoga. Then I ran Pemberton and had so much fun, I wanted to do another ultra this year!! After writing out my intentions and goals, I sat down this weekend to plan out my training schedule. I wanted to use Neil Cook's plan, but as I reviewed it and planned it out on my calendar, I realized I would be running 35-40 miles a week from March till mid-September. 35 - 40 miles a week through a move (our lease is up at the end of May, and we'll be moving somewhere larger - a 623-square-foot, one bedroom apartment is quickly becoming too small for us!), through the hot desert summer, through Johnny's student teaching. That's one major weather change, and two major life changes. It's scary enough to think of this year without training! There's no way I can support the emotional me, the professional me, Ash, Johnny's school AND Johnny's training while maintaining that sort of mileage, let alone trying to get stronger!!! I don't have that kind of stamina yet. So I had to run through my intentions again (thanks Liv for the link to that goal-setting plan!). Yes, again! This time, I decided that I can maintain and even strengthen my fitness without needing to commit the time it would take me to do 35-40 miles a week, by doing what I first thought for the year: 20ish miles a week, yoga and strength-training.

*sigh* But that means no Soul Run 50k in October. I think taking care of me and my family through our transitions this year is more important, and I'm deliberately choosing that over doing another ultra this year, but I'm sad about that. I know I have time, ultrarunning is ultimately a sport one grows into, but it's so much fun, I want to be able to devote more time to it now!!! Since I can't, I will work on strengthening my body. I think I have a long ways to go to really get as fit as I'd like. So I think it's a good thing. A little bittersweet, but I think I can live much better with this choice than choosing to do another ultra this year. I'll still be training. My very first running partner, Paki, has decided that for her first time ever, she wants to do a half-marathon! Woo hoo! She's chosen the PF Chang's Rock'n'Roll in Phoenix in January of next year as her first, so we'll have fun getting ready for that. We're also doing a number of the local 5 - 10ks, which will be fun. You know, I think in the long run, this will make me a stronger ultra runner. Teach me patience, strengthen my body, and prepare me for the longer runs that I want to participate in. I'll also still be running,hiking, and doing many of the TTR runs, which are pretty wicked runs! So adventurous weekends await this year. Just no ultras. (At least at this moment. Disclaimer: Angie's mind is NEVER made up, until she actually does or does not do something. Angie's motto: no matter how far you've gone into something, it is never too late to make a different choice.)